Fan Mounting tips ?

[hobbes]

I posted this in the taxidermy section a while back.  It includes photos of the entire process including  the cape.  You don't have to take all the steps that I do to clean, but it will get you moving in the right direction.  The bondo method keeps you from waiting for it to dry and is quite simple.

http://oldgobbler.com/Forum/index.php/topic,1191.0.html

I had photos of just a fan before the site crashed a while back.  I haven't taken the time to put that all back together.  Someone did have it all copied and made into a pdf that they were kind enough to send me.  If I can find it, I can email it to you.

[trkehunr93]

NWTF instructions are essentially the same as most other responses (ie use Borax for one month) but include a few other steps including soaking the attached meat in white gas for a short period of timeat the beginning of the process.  Don't know if it is necessary but it does work.

And here is the finished product:

I was gonna say.....you might want to read the directions again 

[hobbes]

Here ya go, photos from beginning to end.

http://oldgobbler.com/Forum/index.php/topic,5471.0.html

By the way.......a wet fan as shown above can be fixed by washing, soaking in gas, and drying with a blow dryer until completely dry and spread back out.  It isn't unmountable unless you actually destroy the feathers.........just ugly until cared for properly.

[kj]

Thanks hobbes, I know you can dry out a wet fan.  Mine was my first bird last year.  He had a nice tail and split beard but no spurs to speak of.  I shot him just as the drizzle turned to a nasty storm so he got a little beat up hiking out in the rain.  I wanted to try to mount a fan anyway so I froze the fan in a tube sock.  In the meantime I was lucky enough to shoot a real stud as number 2 with a creme edged fan, longer beard and nice hooks.  So I mounted him first.  I then went back to the first tail, had the result in the picture and decided the fan wasn't worth the effort. 

[hobbes]

I tossed one this winter myself after getting it out and it looking like more effort that it was worth.